Anthony (Barry) La Forgia, United States Air Force and commercial pilot, attorney, business owner, and as founder and Executive Director of International Relief Teams, has given of himself and sacrificed his own personal interests along the way.
Barry spent his childhood and early adult life in Nutley, in a loving and happy home raised by his mother and father and four brothers. A core group of childhood friends from these days, although now dispersed, remains connected primarily through the efforts and commitment of Barry. He was graduated from St. Peter’s Prep School in 1963 with High Honors and served as a class officer and on the Student Council.
Service and education were always important for Barry, and after attending the United States Air Force Academy he received his Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Economics from Georgetown University. He served in Vietnam, flying over 100 missions into dangerous areas in support of military initiatives. After his military service he continued his education achieving an MBA from Hardin-Simmons University, and a law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law. He served as legal counsel for various real estate companies in San Diego, then started a private law practice focusing on business and real estate law. During this phase of his career he participated ln a mission trip to Peru, where he helped construct shelters for the impoverished people living in the Amazon Jungle.
Barry returned to San Diego and embarked on a new mission. He left his law and real estate practices and in 1988 formed Southwest Medical Teams, an organization aimed at linking people in need with teams of volunteers who had the skills (medical and non-medical) needed to help. By the end of its first year, Southwest Medical Teams had sent volunteer teams to Mexico, Jamaica and Armenia. ln 1996, the nonprofit’s name was changed to International Relief Teams to reflect the work of the organization. International Relief Teams is dedicated to alleviating human suffering by providing health services and critical assistance ts victims of disaster, poverty and neglect worldwide. It has given more than $200 million in medication and relief supplies and has deployed more than 5,600 medical and construction volunteers to more than 65 countries including the United States, Central and South America, Eastern Europe,Asia, the South Pacific and Africa. Construction teams were sent to the Jersey Shore to help rebuilding efforts
after Hurricane Sandy.
In recognition of his service and accomplishments, Barry has received a number of awards and honors. In 1994 he was selected as Citizen of the Year awarded by the City Club of San Diego and the San Diego Junior Chamber of Commerce. He also was awarded the 1994 Man of the Year Award by the St. Thomas More Society of San Diego. In 2007 he was inducted into Sigma Theta Tau International, the Honor Society of Nursing, as an honorary member. International Relief Teams has received a four-star rating for 10 consecutive years on Charity Navigator, a distinction achieved by only one percent of all rated organizations. Barry resides in the San Diego area with his wife Kennette and two sons, Ivan and Erik, but he remains committed to his childhood Nutley friends and memories always remembering the value of community and family.